Game Version: 2.05

The "Grain" resource STRONGLY affected local and neighboring (any city receiving exports of the Grain resource via trade: usually neighboring cities and up to 2 cities connected via naval trade routes) population growth in the original make of Rome: Total War.

In the Remastered version, Grain resource tooltips still hint at this, by referring to effects on "local population growth", but there is absolutely no effect on population growth in neighboring cities.

This is a major balance issue, as it STRONGLY harms certain factions- particularly Egypt (already a weaker faction than it should be, historically), Carthage (the MAJOR foe for the Scipii: and thus a faction that ought to be challenging, particularly when the Scipii are controlled by the player), and the Scipii once they conquer Syracuse (southeastern Sicily) and Carthage.  The Brutii and SPQR factions also suffer very greatly from this missing feature, as Tarentum and Rome are both frequent trade partners with Syracuse and Carthage in peacetime.

The Scipii in particular, have no Temples that increase population growth until their final (Huge city/ Pantheon) upgrade level, and so STRONGLY relied on this mechanic for their mid-game economic boom in the original game.  Without it, Messana, Lilybaeum, and Leptis Magna grow MUCH more slowly- this compounded by the bug with changes in population not matching unit sizes on larger Unit size scales (so it is also no longer effective to disband large numbers of obsolete units in Leptis Magna to greatly aid its growth...)  Egypt also suffers enormously, with Petra and (modern) Libya stagnating as a result of lacking Grain imports from the nearby Nile River provinces... (which historically produced a superabundance of grain, and exported large amounts)

The negative effect is PARTCULARLY glaring in light of the change to Rome: Remastered that Squalor is now capped at 100% (meaning that some cities can keep growing almost indefinitely if they have enough food available- except the lack of grain imports GREATLY and unrealistically shortens this list).  It is also historically unrealistic and glaring, besides not matching the original game, in light of the IMMENSE historical strategic and economic/military importance to the late Roman Republic of maintaining and protecting the naval grain import shipments from Egypt, Carthage, and earlier in history Sicily to the Italian peninsula (especially the city of Rome itself...)

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Start an Imperial Campaign, ideally as a faction that starts off in control of a source of Grain bordering other controlled cities by land (Egypt or Carthage), as most naval trade in the very early game requires the construction of Ports and establishment of Trade Agreements first...

2. Observe the "Catalysts" (positive factors) for population growth for cities trading with Grain-producing provinces.  There is no effect on population growth (n the original Rome, EACH such source of Grain imports yielded 1.5% population growth, stackable- so if the city of Rome traded with both Syracuse and Carthage, as often happened, it would grow an extra 3% a turn, vs. without the Grain...  With just one such trade partner, a city used to grow an extra 1.5% a turn).

Please contact Feral Interactive Support for any issues with Rome Remastered.  They were the folks involved in the rework.

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